It's not your fault

How would you feel if your 13 year old son was forced to go to war in your place because you were injured and could no longer fight? In the book, '' The Fighting Ground, " by Avi , Jonathon's dad was filled with guilt and sadness because his son had to go to war in his place after he was shot in the arm in a previous battle. It was a very painful thing for a father to have to face. He would have traded places in a minute if he had the choice. There were so many lessons he needed to teach his son before going to war. How could he prepare him for the horror that lies ahead?

Now unlike his father, who knew what war was really like, Jonathan was unaware how gruesome war truly was. Jonathon was very eager for his first fight against the British. He often day dreamed of the day he could fight along side his friends to kill the soldiers in the red suits . It was a job that he was ready and willing to step right into to be a true man. His father , on the other hand, knew that war was not just pulling a trigger and being glorious. He knew the sick feeling of what it was like to look into a man's eyes as you stab his beating heart.

Jonathan soon learned what really happened on the battle field. The unforgettable blood and smell of dead bodies that filled the air. Soon he learned what the true meaning of war was in his first battle against the British. Not at all what he had dreamed it would be. The true sight of war, the smell of dead bodies and a river flowing with red blood made him retreat from his first real brush with the battle against the British. He was no longer the glorious hero fighting along side his friends that he thought he would be. But you know what they say that dreams aren't always what they seem like . In this case I guess Jonathon did not dream of himself and his friends running into the battle field and getting shot one by one , or blown up by the booming canNons like the one that ripped the his friend's arms and legs clean off so only the raw bones were showing.

There was really no way to prepare his son for what he would see or do war , but it was something Jonathon had to experience .